“Peninsula bliss”

Review by CleoStockholm from StockholmJan 23, 2008

Rated 5 out of 5 -

This is Peninsula after all leaving little to complain about service, this hotel really tries to keep the staff professional. We were picked up by the hotels vintage Rolls Royce - definetely recommendable! We used the hotel's limo and chaffeur for most errands which was great. The food is of high quality too and the views great. It's however a modern hotel as many others in Bangkok and it doesn't match up to Peninsula in Hong Kong. What can be of nusance are the low prices for standard rooms making it possible for people not usually staying at 5star hotels to stay there bringing down the 5star venue no doubt. What some people perhaps might find liberating with Asia whilst others get annoyed over the fact that the staff can't really tell the difference.

Beware of your bill though, this hotel may over charge you which happened to us!

“Fabulous Stay & Beach”

Review by ndecost1 from Fanwood, New JerseyDec 31, 2007

Rated 5 out of 5 -

We spent 8 nights at Twinpalms for our honeymoon in a Grand Deluxe Palm Suite. This is the room higher than the regular deluxe but not the room with the pool access. The pool access room wasn't that important to us and we are happy with our choice of room. Twinpalms is a fabulous resort with a beautiful beach. The hotel is NOT on the beach though. You have to cross the street and walk through a little park to the beach. It is a 3 minute walk and a pleasant walk. I did not mind this at all, Read more...and I was very concerned with the fact that the hotel was not on the beach. Do not be concerned with this.

Twinpalms was great and we would definitely stay there again. However, our first room was near the infamous construction so we did hear it on our first morning. Since it was our honeymoon and we were there for 8 nights, we requested and had our room changed. This was very easy and the hotel was great and accommodating. We were moved a few rooms down (but in the same building) and the noise was nonexistent in our second room. So, the construction noise really is not bad, unless you happen to be in the one room that we got at first. I'm pretty sure that our first room was #68. I would not be worried about the construction though. I was and had no issues with it past our first morning... and even that wasn't that bad.

The rooms are nicely decorated and are definitely modern and minimalistic. They gave us chocolates, 2 dozen roses, a sweet letter written to us for our honeymoon, and a bathtub filled with flower petals upon our arrival. We really liked this. The rain shower was very nice and I enjoyed the bath tub as well. The room is quite spacious with plenty of closet space. I really can't say anything bad about the room or the resort.

We ate in both restaurants, Oriental Spoon and Catch (the beachfront restaurant). Catch was great to eat for lunch as well if you were down at the beach, although more expensive than the other local beach restaurants that are alongside. Catch has good nightly entertainment as well so we went there for drinks one night. We preferred and ate at the local beach resturants for lunch almost everyday. Our favorite was the beach restaurant that was the second or third one away from Catch, although we did try more than one restaurant.

Twinpalms restaurants were both great and definitely worth a meal. We also ate at the nearby restaurants. Next door is Manathai. Its a hotel with a great restaurant as well but not cheap. A few doors down from that is another hotel with a restaurant on their bottom floor. They have nightly entertainment and we absolutely loved them! The food here was my favorite of all the places we ate in Phuket. They're open late and the entrees are very reasonable and cheap. A few doors past that was a great wine bar that we went to one night as well. It was more expensive since wine is pricey in Thailand but we had a nice time there. The owner is originally from California. We also ate at Treetops Arasia for a night and enjoyed that as well. We also ate at Silk Restaurant, which many people on here recommend. The food was good here although more pricey than some other places. It was about the same as Manathai and was very good. Silk will come pick you up for free so have the hotel arrange this for you. My favorite meal was the local restaurant at the bottom of the hotel. I think the restaurant itself was called Room something. Manathai was also very good. Our most expensive meal was $150 US but this included a few rounds of drinks for us so it really wasn't bad. The cheap local place that we loved so much probably cost us $50 for dinner with multiple drinks, apps, entrees, and desserts for two.

The breakfasts at Twinpalms were great. The buffet had great juices, fresh fruit, amazing croisants, great coffee, and eggs made to order. We didn't get tired of the breakfasts either so they definitely do a nice job with it.

We visited Patong but didn't think it was worth going back to. We did some shopping there and bargained for some good deals. I think there was better shopping in Bangkok though. The hotel offers a shuttle to Patong. Since not a lot of people were interested in the night we went, we got a nice luxury car ride from the hotel to Patong. The hotel charges $300 baht for this service for each person. The drop you off at 6pm and pick you up at 10pm. This was enough time for our one night in Patong.

Twinpalms is a great resort and I would highly recommend you to stay there. The beach is truly amazing. Fine sand and crystal blue water. It was similar to a calm bay and did not have any waves while we were there. We really loved this beach and found it much nicer than the beaches in Koh Samui or any other island we've ever been including Jamaica and Bermuda and anywhere in Europe.

The staff at Twinpalms were also very nice and helpful. They arranged golf for my husband and he had no complaints. He played the Blue Canyon course and really liked it there. The free internet is nice and the library is pretty cool. You can check out books and magazines there and they have computers in there. The pool at Twinpalms is very pretty and designed really well.

Overall, we were very happy with our choice here. We considered the Chedi and Treetops Arasia and are very happy we went with Twinpalms. We visited the other resorts and liked Twinpalms best. The resort is modern, beautifully designed, has a great staff, great pool, and one of the best beaches we've ever seen. There are some locals that frequent the beach area trying to sell sarongs, but they did not bother us at all. It is not a private beach though, but it doesn't need to be. It is small so its not crowded or overrun at all. The resort has a very comfortable set up on the beach with chairs and a living room set up near Catch Restaurant. We had no problems getting beach chairs and we were there during the high season.

We booked our trip through the Small Luxury Hotel's website. I compared prices elsewhere but got a good deal directly through their site.

Bottomline - We have no complaints and the beach is amazing and gorgeous. Collapse

“Absolutely Blissful”

Review by NZ_Shaza from MelbourneDec 27, 2007

Rated 5 out of 5 -

This was my first time to go to a beach resort. Luckily, I had a work colleague who had already been to the Twinpalms and raved about it. I was not disappointed. Yes, as most know, there is construction going on but you know I really didn't notice it in the 8 days that we stayed there. The hotel is simply amazing. From the size of the rooms to the pool and gardens, you never want to leave. The buffet breakfasts are enough to keep you full through to dinner. They are scrumptous!

There is Read more...a small mini-mart two doors down where you can buy snacks, beer etc at low costs. 3 beers from the hotel minibar were 471.00 bhat (including taxes) but 90 bhat from the mini-mart! The best restaurant on the beach, cheap and tasty is to the left of the Catch Beach Club (when heading down from the hotel). It has red table cloths and is about 60 metres from the club, on the beach side. The masseurs (in yellow shirts - warning they all wear yellow!) next to the indoor-outdoor restaurant are the best on Surin Beach! Avoid the ones working in front of Catch Beach Club.

Best tip for all is walk up to The Chedi Hotel (approx 100m up the road from the Twinpalms). They have their own private beach with amazing swimming. If you just work in past the guardhouse straight up the road and into the hotel, no one says anything! Head down the stairs once inside, grab a towel from the pool side and enjoy!!

Motorbikes into and out of Patong are cheaper than tuk-tuk, (we paid 150 bhat each) and a lot more fun.

The twinpalms is fantastic and I cannot recommend this hotel enough. The average twinpalms worker gets 350 bhat a day ($14 Australian). We left 150 bhat tips to a number of staff that impressed us. If you have spare change at the end why not? Collapse

“Great Value in Spite of construction”

Review by Hamill67 from Charlottesville, VADec 23, 2007

Rated 4 out of 5 -

The Twin Palms is an excellent resort that I would definitely recommend, in spite of the construction noise issues referenced in other reviews. My wife and I were concerned about the noise issues cited but decided to go because of the many other positive aspects we read about. Here is a summary of points you might find helpful:

Noise comp: As of Dec 07 there is still substantial construction to the north of the property. This construction consists of the construction of a new condo blding andRead more... Twin Palms' own expansion directly north. We were on the north side of the resort and it did not bother us. We could hear it a bit while at the pool but not in our rooms at all.

Architecture and physical surroundings: Absolutely excellent. Its architecture will really amaze you. The pool is one of the nicest I have ever seen. it was a tough choice whether to visit the beach or the pool.

Food: Their food was good but overpriced. Europeans with a strong Euro probably will not find this as problematic though. Good thing is that there are some other options available. I heartily recommend a resturant nearby on Surin beach road called The "Surin Bay Inn". They had excellent prices and great food. English expats will enjoy the English brekkie they have.

Beach and "Catch" Beachclub: The beach and twin palms beachclub are about a 4 minute walk from the main resort. The grounds are very well maintained and uncrowded. Service was quite spotty though and rarely did the staff come by to ask about refreshments.

Service: The service is pretty good but is not 5 star if that is what you are looking for. The staff was friendly but not as attentive and detail oriented as one would see at a 5 star resort.

Value: I think it is absolutely great value. We paid about 200 usd at xmas time.

Location: Surin Beach is a pretty good location. Not very crowded but only a 400 baht taxi ride to Patong. If you are looking for action--i.e. you are 20-30 something--I would go somewhere else..

Demographics: Twinpalms caters to younger European families and is very Gay friendly as it is a quite tolerant crowd. Most of the people at Surin Beach at the surrounding resorts and condos were middle aged Europeans, with an especially high number of Scandinavians and germans.

Final Notes: I definitely recommend this place but only at about 200 usd per night. More than that I would shoot for another resort. Collapse

“Simply Awesome”

amazing service, great food, perfect location and best of all, such a good price.

found a very good deal on [--] highly advise to check it out

“Perfect Honemoon”

Review by kamilar from SydneyDec 10, 2007

Rated 5 out of 5 -

Loved the TwinPalms!!! We were so afraid that the constructions would affect us, but NOT AT ALL! Why would we stay at the hotel when there is the Surin beach – the most beautiful beach of all at the island. The beach is just perfect…palm trees everywhere, masseurs, jet ski to rent, restaurants all over…paradise! We stayed at many different places, but Surin beach is just the best! Also, we took a TukTuk one night to visit Patong beach, so there is always a way to visit other places.

The only thing I would mention is that the constructions create a lot of dust all over the hotel, but as I said we were not really there so it didn’t affect us.

Also, the room wasn’t ready when we arrived, but we went for a walk to the beach while they were preparing it, so it didn’t matter to us.

Perfect location for honeymooners!

“Wow! Amazing!”

Review by TravelSnob1 from Newport Beach, CaliforniaDec 09, 2007

Rated 5 out of 5 -

LOCATION: Great. Not on the beach but a 2 minute walk to a great beach with decent waves, beautiful water color and great sand. The hotel has it’s own beach chairs on the beach.

BEST WAY TO GET THERE: Taxi from the airport cost us 450 baht from the stand inside the airport at arrivals.

BED/SHEETS/PILLOW: Very comfortable bed with high quality linens and down pillows.

LIGHTING: Excellent in both bedroom and bathroom.

BATHROOM/SHOWER: Beautiful large bathroom with great water preRead more...ssure and hot temperature would last for a while (then start getting only warm if you take a long shower). Rain shower with no bathtub in standard room.

TOILETRIES: Excellent quality. The kind you want to take home. Only problem is the difficulty in getting it out of the bottle (need to squeeze a bottle that doesn’t squeeze easily).

CLEANLINESS: The entire resort and room is spotless.

A/C: Excellent. Room cooled down quickly and it is very quiet. Air doesn’t blow on face while sleeping.

CLOSET SPACE: Difficult for 2 to unpack all items, but decent space.

STYLE OF ROOM: Gorgeous.

QUIET/MORNING LIGHT: Could hear footsteps from the upper floor room. Room could be made very dark during the morning sun.

FOOD: Ate at the restaurant on the beach and the food was excellent (and I am picky). Breakfast at the hotel had a good selection of meats,3-5 different juices, cooked foods (including waffles/pancakes/eggs).

TV/INTERNET: TV is flat screen and was a little small for how far it was from the bed. DVD player in room with DVDs available at no charge. Wireless internet is provided in the room at no charge and there are 2 or 3 Apple computers available in the library with internet access at no cost. The library closes around 7PM.

SERVICE: Great! Many staff have difficulty speaking English but this is normal at all hotels we stayed in in Thailand (all at the same level as this one).

COMMON AREA: Beautiful. It is better in person than the website. Only complaint is that the pool is salt water and is not clear. Nice to look at but not inviting at all. I never went in as a result. Doesn’t matter too much with the great beach nearby. The main plus to this hotel in Surin beach is that all the other hotel loungers on the beach are nearly on top of one another, and of poor quality. The TPalms lounge chairs are beautiful and spaced out and I am sure the people at the other hotels wished they had access to these loungers. Surin Beach is one of the best and be sure to avoid Patong unless all you want to do is party. This hotel is about a 25 minute taxi ride to Patong. There are tons of restaurants within a 2 minute walk both on the beach and on the street with the hotel.

ROOM & CITY TIPS: Suggest requesting a 2nd level room (only 2 floors) since this will provide more privacy when in the room and on the balcony. Plus it will eliminate the noise from the guests above you. There is construction next door and I would request staying on the non-construction side (my request for this was not honored). The construction is also on the beach as well. I walked next door to Manathai and it is nice but definitely a 2nd choice to the Twin Palms.

SUMMARY: I strongly suggest this place and to not stay in Patong Beach. This place has it all; a great beach (2 min walk), comfortable beds and rooms, and great common areas. If you want to stay in Surin Beach, this is the best place to stay! Collapse

“The best!”

Review by notebookguy from NürnbergDec 09, 2007

Rated 5 out of 5 -

We travel a lot for business ans well as for leisure and consider opurselves as expperineced travellers. We have to say the overall picture of the Twin Palms for us is: this was probably the most enjoyable stay we ever had in any Hotel.
But actually we should write that is is not good because otherwise everyone will go there and it will be overly crowded.
:-) Just joking! We can just recommend the place - you will not regret going there!